The scourge of Christian fundamentalism

Though this surely isn't an isolated incident, it's safe to say that we, as Americans, have reached the point where challenging the Christian hegemony gets you assaulted.

Kansas University religious studies professor Paul Mirecki - a critic of Christian fundamentalism who had until recently intended to teach intelligent design as mythology - was beaten yesterday morning by two men who had been following him in a pickup truck. Mirecki said that his attackers "made references" to his recent notoriety. "I didn't know them," he said, "but I'm sure they knew me."

Mirecki was going to breakfast when the truck began closely following him. He stopped, thinking it would pass. It didn't. "They got out, and I made the mistake of getting out," he said. The beating began almost instantly, as the assailants punched Mirecki in the head and shoulders, striking him with a metal object.

Officials are calling it aggravated battery. I call it a hate crime.

We've arrived at a scary destination in America. Fundamentalist Christians, holding an overwhelming majority, are in control of the federal government. Their myriad representatives dominate the airwaves. Their churches engulf entire communities. Couple that with a remarkably insane persecution complex and you've got a smoldering tinderbox of raw religious fervor, a powder keg poised to explode.

Fundamentalists present an obvious contradiction. These "pro-life" Christians bomb abortion clinics. These "compassionate" Christians blockade a hospice, preventing a grieving woman from saying goodbye to her dying grandfather. These "loving" Christians discriminate against people simply because they were born a certain way. Values? You can keep your values, if that's what you call being moral.

Where does it stop? Mirecki was simply exercising his rights to voice a dissenting opinion. For that, he was severely beaten. What will happen to the next person criticizing intelligent design? Or Pat Robertson? Or President Bush? Seriously, religious right, where does it stop? When will the people leaving angry, anonymous blog comments become the same people confronting people face-to-face? When will the people putting Mirecki in the hospital become the same people putting someone in the morgue? When will the people looking the other way after the first murder become the same people excusing the next?

The religious right is playing for keeps. Armed with what they are convinced is the absolute truth, they also feel, mistakenly, that they are under attack for their beliefs. Feeling threatened, they're fighting back. More than ever, they've got the government on their side. Their enemies - women, homosexuals, minorities, free thinkers - are all that stand in the way between them and an American theocracy. Consider Mirecki's beating a sad chapter in their fight to make this dream a reality.

Comments

[jeff]

Oh, okay, I get it. There haven't been exponentially more beatings of christians by non-christian liberals than the other way around. Uh huh. Sure. I believe it just because you say it.

It never ceases to amaze me how many of the liberal ilk can absolutely ignore the truth, as long as it fits their argument/agenda.

Good luck with all that...

[Joseph]

Actually, I think the number of liberal beatings of Christians is two to the seventh more than the other way around. Ignoring the truth to fit an agenda is almost exclusively a religious right exercise. Good luck with your fairy tale. I think I saw a unicorn the other day. I was on my way to Atlantis.

[Sid]

Do liberals beat people? I thought we were the doves...

trying not to laugh at Jeff's comment...

[jeffreym]

The Egyptians beat the Jews 5,000 years ago. The Romans beat the Jews 2,000 years ago.

The christians have been beating us ever since.

Hey Jeff...read a book!

http://celestial-reasoning.blogspot.com

[Gabriel]

Hang on, there's an insight here -- they *really believe this,* that Christians are being attacked and beaten by people for being Christian in the USA. I've been checking websites - not only do they think Prof. Mirecki (AKA "Mr. Tactful") made the whole beating up, they also believe that the police and the government are involved in "hate crimes against Christians" as well, and they believe a bunch of other stuff... it's really amazing how far from "mainstream" sources these guys go for their news, and in the blogosphere they can get any flavor of news they seek. Guess what, guys: a real liberal doesn't stalk people for having and expressing idiotic opinions. That's one reason the liberals have so much trouble with hardball politics, they are always trying to be NICE or at least FAIR and POLITE. Their opposition does not appear to be interested in any of that. Peace on Earth, goodwill to ALL. And stop spending BILLIONS of our tax dollars on pre-emptive war and GOP lobbyist-assisted cronyism when American kids are having their education and health care cut or eliminated. Sheesh.

[Andrew]

Jeff - waiting for you to provide your examples of "liberals" stalking and beating Christians for their beliefs. Please include references or links.

[Kaushik]

It seems to me that the first amendment is to be protected only so long as someone is espousing strongly pro extreme views of the so called christian clique. I say so called because there is nothing christian about not tolerating and/or vilifying an opposing view

[Arliss Hogwasher]

I often wonder the same thing, and when it will stop. How low can they go? As low as murder, it's so sickening seeing our country this way. I am a child of the Sixties, we said make love not war. These people have done anything but love. They cringe when you say Christ was all about love. Love of each and every human. I've always perceived love as a very "Human" emotion. Clearly under my definition these people are not human. What God are they worshiping to? It cannot be Christ, I hear them quoting Leviticus all the time. Everything is an Abomination.
Never do you here them quote Christ, and when they do they get it wrong. Maybe they are Leviticusians, they certainly aren't Christians. They give so much weight to the Old Testament and hardly any to the teachings of Christ. They are being deluded by people like Pat Robertson, who looks more and more like a Satanist everyday than a Christian. Who loaded a plane with relief supplies to go to Africa in front of reporters and then when they were gone they unloaded the cargo and replaced it with Diamond mining equipment.
When will they wake up from their religion induced stupor?

[tofubo]

read American Theocracy by Kevin Phillips, it'll answer everything and more